Recent posts by Mark Pressler

I’d like to grow lions mane mushroom and heard it will colonize wild black cherry, which would be great because I have a bunch of them on my property. I’ve only seen info online about using the totem method on stumps. I was wondering if anybody knew if you can grow them in the traditional stacked log method as well?

Hi Nancy. I know this is an old post but just came across it. If you are doing anymore beekeeping stuff, please let me know. I'd like to get bees in the spring. Also, I am a new farmer in Grant Park, IL, and love the permaculture stuff. If you know of any other related events or people I should know locally, I'd appreciate that info as well. Thanks!! Mark m.press@earthlink.net

Just bought a farm with a little treeline containing a couple big black cherries. I'll have my garden on one side of the line and grazers on the other. They'll need to come down cause I don't want the toxic leaves in my pastures or my garden beds. Does anyone know if I can hugel with the wood? I don't think it will grow mushrooms, and I could save it for firewood if nothing else. Or can I...?

Michael, great thread. I'd like to ask the opinions of the group: I'm hoping to acquire a property soon that is mostly wooded and mostly sloped. I'd like to have ponds installed on the slopes for water catchment and like the pig method. My concern is all the trees and the likelihood of uncovering lots of roots. I don't mind if some trees have to come down but I'm wondering if there would be problems sealing because of the roots?

Thanks for all the info in this great thread. I'm also considering a heavily wooded acreage, mostly oak and shagbark hickory with a lot of understory shrubbery and small trees. I was thinking of clearing the spaces between the big trees with goats and pigs to allow for pasture establishment. Anyone have experience with this?

Hi Ken, Coming into this a little late but I'd like to share some of my own experience. Get or build a mobile shelter and an electric net. Put the net around the shelter and charge it with a solar charger, or a battery powered charger where the battery could be changed each week. Now there is a roosting spot with protection from predators. Muscovies fly very well and will leave the fenced area during the day to forage. Mine do it all the time. Then, in the evening, they will return to roost for the night. You'll need to bond them to the shelter for a week or so first, like chickens. The shelter and fence can be rotated around to keep the poop from building up in one spot. Chickens will occasionally fly over the fence, but then seem to have a difficult time figuring how to get back in. Not the brightest. I've been thinking, however, how to facilitate a "step" over the fence for the chicks, too. Maybe a perch or a ladder, say, 3 or 4 feet high that the chicks could climb and jump out, that would also give them a "target" to jump on to get back in. I don't know how high a predator can jump, but if it's only a dowel or something, will a fox try to jump on it? The birds would, though, and maybe get back in for the night. Also, once the preds learn what electricity feels like, they usually avoid the area altogether. You would need large breed chickens to limit your hawk losses, since they like smaller birds. I don't have any problems with the ducks. Good luck!